A key success factor that enabled Toyota to become the world’s most successful automobile company is its famous manufacturing method, the so called Toyota Production System (TPS). The evolution of the Toyota production system approach can be traced to the period immediately following the second world war when the economic outlook was uncertain and human, natural and capital resources were in limited supply. Against this background, the most important objective of the Toyota System has been to increase production efficiency by consistently and thoroughly eliminating waste. This concept developed between 1948 and 1975 by Toyota’s former president Toyoda Kiichiro and later by Ohno Taiichi and Eiji Toyoda represents a highly efficient production system that is similar to that of Henry Ford several decades earlier, although Toyota’s approach to both product development and distribution proved to be much more consumer-friendly and market-driven.… Read the rest
Quality Management
Seven Basic Tools of Quality
For the reason of human factor and human reliability, it is inevitable that there could be occurred some kind of faults and errors even in well planned and technically equipped organizations and systems. The errors or unplanned risks that might be happened during the project, can lead the customer to have negative opinion about the management team. Also some faults and risks might not being able to fix or might be too expensive to overcome it. Therefore a well prepared quality management plan is essential for an organization in order to ensure that the management plan that the project team works on, meet the customer satisfaction and their needs.… Read the rest
Ultimate Guide to Cause & Effect Diagram
The cause & effect diagram is the brainchild of Kaoru Ishikawa, who pioneered quality management processes in the Kawasaki shipyards, and in the process became one of the founding fathers of modern management. The cause and effect diagram is used to explore all the potential or real causes (or inputs) that result in a single effect (or output). Causes are arranged according to their level of importance or detail, resulting in a depiction of relationships and hierarchy of events. This can help you search for root causes, identify areas where there may be problems, and compare the relative importance of different causes.… Read the rest
Literature Review – Quality Management Systems
According to various authors, quality improvement and management has become a subject of great importance in organisations. Quality Management focuses on the overall process of a system rather than just concentrating on results, it is the determination and implementation of the quality policy with regard to the organisation. Many organisations throughout the world have started to realize the potential it holds for them and have therefore adopted new philosophies focused on quality management rather than just being focused on the end results. Some organisations already implementing the ISO 9001 Quality Management System are wondering is it worth maintaining and what significance does it hold for the company?… Read the rest
Elements of a Quality Culture
Indeed, quality culture starts with top management. There need to be top management leadership to drive this culture of quality across the organisation. For this to happen, business leaders and managers must have the commitment in setting up quality control programmes, strategic planning for quality and provide resources for quality. In addition, top management leadership role is also a distinguishing element of a quality culture. Adopting a democratic leadership style where workers are not punished for errors and failures and that continuous learning is what prevails in the organisation. Management attitudes should be towards treating employees as members and remove barriers of superiors or subordinates.… Read the rest
Lean Manufacturing – Definition, History and Objectives
Lean manufacturing is the production of goods using less of everything compared to mass production. It focuses on less human effort, less manufacturing space, less investment in tools, and less engineering time to develop a new product. Lean manufacturing is a generic process management philosophy derived mostly from the Toyota Production System (TPS). Lean manufacturing is a technique that allows companies to be more responsive to quickly changing markets and more sophisticated & demanding customers.
History of Lean ManufacturingToyota is often considered one of the most efficient manufacturing companies in the world and the company that sets the standard for best practices in Lean Manufacturing.… Read the rest